Actors, Athletes, News Anchors, and More Follow the Gluten-free Diet

Whether people are eating gluten free for medical reasons or non-medical reasons, the plain fact is more and more people are following the examples set by celebrities and athletes who attribute eating gluten free to losing weight and for its ability to increase athletic performance. Whatever the reason, celebrities, athletes, reporters, etc. continue to follow a gluten-free diet, so it is time to update the lists I started back in 2010.

I think it is important to separate out those who are eating gluten free for medical from those who eat gluten free for or non-medical reasons, so there are five lists below: Celebrities with Celiac Disease, Celebrities with non-celiac gluten sensitivity/wheat intolerance, Celebrities who eat gluten free by choice, Athletes with Celiac Disease, and Athletes who eat gluten free by choice. These lists were compiled using multiple sources.

7 comments

I agree with shauna s. Th e gf is just as bad. I have seen people including myself gain weight on this diet. However I love that everyday I find a new product or restaurant that includes me. I like that celebrities promotwe this diet because I don’t feel as alone and it makes people aware and can help in self diagnosing since going to the dr. For this will take years for them to figure out.

Ann, you are correct. I did not interview the celebrities but I do not think the author did either. I just worry about too many people believing false information and then listening to celebrities and following their eating habits instead of doctors. This is a VERY dangerous path to follow. The point of my post was that not all of the information is true and the reader should be careful. Too many people glamorize celebrities for their gluten-free path in life and this is not safe. Celebrities may eat gluten-free but this does NOT mean they know what they are doing any more than you or I when it comes to being safe.

As far as Keith Olbermann is concerned, I am not sure which pictures you are talking about since I didn’t post any pictures. In my original post, I included a DIRECT link to his personal Twitter account where he states he does not have celiac.

I notice you do not have an email or website, but I would be happy to discuss this with you further. gfreefun at gmail

In the meantime, I choose not to sensationalize gluten-free or Celiac disease by supporting celebrities. I will continue to be proud of the real advocates in our society that are working to make a change for us with Celiac Disease.

Erin, and what makes your sources correct??? Did you interview those celebrities yourself since apparently the writer of this article did not. For one thing, neither one of your “sources” for Chelsea Clinton don’t claim she isn’t Celiac. The one article only mentions Bill C. has a wheat allergy and he mentions Chelsea is vigilant about eating GF. Nothing states if she is Celiac or not. And the other article is celebrity pictures with captions below each picture. Ummm, I don’t consider that an accurate source with in stating that Chelsea isn’t Celiac. Which incidentally, those pictures do say Keith Olbermann has Celiac and you make the claim he isn’t. So which is it?

You can see on Drew Brees facebook he’s eating a Jimmy John’s sub on BREAD which I am assuming is wheat based. Rumor is, his children may be gluten intolerant. Frankly I do not look up to any celebrity that I hear has Celiac or gluten sensitivity.

How did you confirm this list? With the celebrities themselves? You should be careful about claims about the health conditions of the individual celebrity or athlete, especially when they are not true. People look up to celebrities and misinformation could lead individuals looking for medical help down the wrong path.

Olbermann has been reported to have celiac disease since 2004. He supported the Celiac Sprue Association on his show. And his IMDB page says he has celiac disease. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0646021/bio

As a Celiac, I believe that celebrities that go gluten free, that don’t have to be, hurt the Celiac and gluten intolerant community. These celebrities claim that you can lose weight and be thin like them, when you go gluten free. Have they lost their minds? Do they know how much sugar and fat goes into gluten free foods? Many gluten free foods have more calories than regular food. These celebrities give us a bad rep.

However, the only good thing that comes out of all of this, is the increase of gluten free products available to us. I just do not like that it comes with negative publicity.